Related

As the tawdry — but still hazy — details surrounding David Petraeus’ alleged affair continue to leak, there’s a key figure in the scandal who, so far, has remained silent: Paula Broadwell. She’s the author and former Army reservist whose alleged adulterous relationship with Petraeus prompted the CIA director’s resignation Friday. Broadwell recently co-authored a biography of the four-star general, titled All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, initially published in January 2012. But until last week, her name remained relatively unknown. Now, following the rapid-fire media response to the unfurling scandal, a portrait is developing of a highly educated political insider who carved her own path to Washington.

“I never felt threatened as a Westerner, nor did I feel that out of place as a female journalist. As you know, many female journalists have covered Afghanistan over the years, and a significant number of women serve in the military … so I wasn’t that much of an anomaly.” — Discussing her time embedded with Petraeus in Afghanistan (The Bismarck Tribune, January 2012)

“My background is the military, and I went to the military academy also, so I had a sort of natural network there to worth with.” — Explaining the access she had to Petraeus and to covert information, in an appearance promoting All In (The Daily Show, January 2012)

Quotes About Broadwell:

“Here she has two young kids, a husband who’s a doctor, and yet … she’s writing a book of this magnitude and hardly breaking a sweat.” — Vernon Loeb, co-author of All In (The Charlotte Observer, January 2012)

“I would say the real controversy here is: Is he awesome, or incredibly awesome?” — Jon Stewart, summing up All In (The Daily Show, January 2012)

“Obviously she has made a mistake, but I really do believe she is probably better equipped than about anybody I know to figure her way out of this in a really positive way, without destroying anybody. That’s just not her nature.” — Sarah Curme, Broadwell’s neighbor and friend (The New York Times, November 2012)

“She was relentlessly pro-Petraeus. There was no room for a conversation of shortcomings of the Petraeus theology.” — An Afghan-policy expert who met Broadwell in Kabul (The Washington Post, November 2012)